Polynauts Central (12/9 Archived)

Posted by Shaun McIlroy on September 12, 2012 07:32 am 2477

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It's Wednesday September 12th and this is Polynauts Central, at Polygon on The Verge. Lets do this.

  • For comics, manga and anime and if want a nice organised place to talk about those, then head on over to Crisis on Infinite Polygons Issue #4 for chaosbirdomaid's all-in-one thread.
  • If you want to talk game related art - or even art in general but be sure to head over to the thread by Paradox Me called The Polygon Gallery of Fine Arts and grab yourself some cheese, olives and a glass of wine.
  • If you want to talk about, or discover new music then Shinta has a thread for you simply called Music.
  • If you want to talk about any movies or television shows with fear of spoilers then go to PrinceLUDA21's Polynauts: The Movie: Episode 2 thread.
  • Zombie711 feels that snacks should have a thread. Won't somebody go talk waffles with him?

FROM POLYGON

1: 'NHL 13' review: get smart by Samit Sarkar

NHL 13's most significant overhaul is its new skating engine, which takes physics into account for the first time. Ice is an unforgiving surface, but previous entries in the series never quite sold the feel of skating. NHL 13 finally gets it right.

Momentum is paramount.

2: Japan Review Check: 'LittleBigPlanet PS Vita', 'Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning' by Kevin Gifford

A recap of the most interesting games coming out soon in Japan, courtesy of the reviews section in the latest issue of Famitsu magazine.

3: 'Jet Set Radio HD' review: bad reception by Arthur Gies

Nostalgia has the side effect of high expectations though, and Jet Set Radio HD just can't meet them. While the flash and style of Jet Set Radio HD remains untouched and unvarnished by a dozen years of progress, the rest of it can't stand up to scrutiny. Squirrely controls, camera catastrophes, and nonsensical level design make Jet Set Radio HD a better memory than game.

4: 'Earth Defense Force 4' detailed, dated (sort of) by Kevin Gifford

EF4 is set for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and judging by this initial preview, the main new feature is full online support - D3 is still mum on the details, but it looks like online gameplay will mostly be co-op oriented.

5: Inside Ron Gilbert's 'The Cave' by Alexa Ray Corriea

"Hardcore" gamers, Gilbert says, find their staples with PlayStation and Xbox, the well-to-do established families of the console world. Adventure games cover a wider spectrum that appeal more to "casual" gamers, who may knock out a few rounds of Angry Birds during their morning commute or get a quick fix with a mini-role playing game on their iPhone during an afternoon coffee break. Publishers don't get as excited about adventure titles, but whittling them down to short, sharp experiences on mobile platforms is increasing their popularity.

FROM THE POLYNAUTS FORUMS:

1: Given up gaming. But one game will bring me back. by gnarlyhat

there is one game - and only one game - that without hesitation will bring me back to gaming one last time.

Half Life 3.

I don't know when that is, where I'll be in life, or if my computer will even run the damn thing, but I will buy it with exceedingly high expectations (which is where they should be after the first and second installations), and play it without regret.

So I was wondering, is there anyone else out there who has given up video games for one reason or another, but has "the one" they're still waiting on?

2: You Should Play Board Games, And Here's Why by Clayton Ashley

I love video games. I want to make that clear. But recently, after introducing some of my friends to board games and finding some friendly board game groups, I've noticed that I'm spending way more of my time playing board games than playing video games. I enjoy them so much, I made this short documentary about why some of the people at one of my meetups love playing board games.

3: My "Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time" demo impressions and analysis. by BreadKnight

If you own the Ratchet and Clank HD collection then you've had access to this demo since august 28th, and if you haven't played it since then....What the hell is wrong with you? If you don't the demo is expected to be released by the end of the month on PSN.

4: Steam's Big Picture Mode - Analysis, Impression, and Possible Improvements by Rathorial

So I like many people yesterday took to Steam, and tried out the new Big Picture Mode available. This program was a long time coming, and is designed to make PC gaming a bit more flexible and fun for gamers in the living room. My experience with Big Picture Mode has been far more enjoyable, and interesting that I thought it would be. Mainly because while it does leave a few things out that I would like, it works far better than I thought it would. Like so good, if this mode was installed on a console, I would flat out prefer its interface over PS3 and 360's, and using Microsoft's own controller. Why am I excited?

FROM THE VERGE:

Adi Robertson enjoys the calm before the storm in todays '90 Seconds on The Verge'.

POLYNAUTS COMMENT OF THE DAY (11/9):

“I was eating a sandwich, but this song started playing and then I was eating that sandwich FOR AMERICA”

ProjectNatalie (11 Recommends)

Every day there will only be one comment from the previous thread. It's decided based upon the most recommends an individual receives for their comment; should two people have the same rating then both comments will be posted.

Okay, there we have another weekends worth of catch-ups folks. Remember to sound off in the comments below and share any awesome news you find today. As always check out the @Polygon feed on Twitter to keep up to date, or feel free to hit me up at @shaunmcilroy if you want to chitchat throughout the day.

NOTES:

New to the Polygon Community? Please take time to read the Community Guidelines as laid out by the editorial team here at The Verge. Particularly take note here: "Foul language: Cussing, swearing, or just plain nasty: all of the above are not cool here." That goes for NSFW material as well folks - Mods DO police this place remember.

If you're a fan of the image up top and want to submit your own, remember to keep them coming in for this section of Polynauts Central, GIF's included, at this link. Finally, if you want to submit a header image for Crisis on Infinite Polygons you can do that on this thread.